We believe that clients want to deal directly with the people who have a real effect on their business. So we strive to employ only the most revered and respected people in the business.

We don’t talk to the press. We don’t enter awards. We take great delight in making our clients famous, not ourselves.

We are a tight team spread across two offices, in Wellington and Auckland. These hand-picked individuals work for Assignment. But most importantly, they work for you.

Q: How can a boutique agency handle big clients?

The people at Assignment, between them, have created some of New Zealand’s most famous advertising. Work like Toyota ‘Bugger, NZTA ‘Mistakes’ and Lotto ‘Lucky Dog’.

They’re used to answering big behavior changing briefs. And today they are relishing the challenge of building the Z Energy brand from scratch, creating so much brand love that Whittaker’s is now the most trusted brand in New Zealand and creating the biggest FMCG launch in New Zealand history with Griffin’s Chocoade.

This is why so many of the country’s best brands come and talk to us. They like that senior people with proven experience are solving their toughest problems.

They like that we’re collaborative and focused. That we focus on solving a business problem first and foremost. That we tell the truth as we see it; we are independently minded and put ourselves in the position of our clients.

Q: How can we achieve more in a day than most agencies do in six months?

At the heart of the way we work are Assignment Days. These are decision-making sessions that bring together the key client stakeholders and Assignment, marrying the client’s specific knowledge of the category with the broader experience of Assignment.

The key difference between an Assignment session and a ‘think tank’ is that we remove the barrier between adviser and advised and look instead to draw on our collective experience to reach conclusions and decisions that will be acted upon. It is this knowledge that puts real onus on all those involved to participate and to be open to new thinking and different experiences.

You don’t have to be an Assignment client to have an Assignment Day. But it’s telling how many become one when they do.